Book Review: Rocco's Wings

Book: Rocco's Wings (Tales of Terrakesh book #1) by Rebecca Merry Murdock with illustrations by Kalen Chock

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Publisher: Bark and Howl Press Ltd.

Description:

Rocco is the only villager with wings. His wings are blue, and at night also bioluminescent (glowing). Rocco is captured by urvogels (winged human-like creatures) living on the cliffs of Upper Terrakesh. He witnesses the horrid punishment of urvogels getting their wings cut off - punishment for so-called vanity crimes.

Private reading, music making and other solitary enjoyments are strictly forbidden as contrary to flock principles. Rocco’s new friends, Basalt, Vesta, Magna and Iggy are about to stand trial. If convicted, they will lose their wings. Rocco must decide if he should help them, or escape on his own. A fast moving tale of survival and adventure, this middle-grade novel follows Rocco’s struggle with grief and loss.

Rocco’s Wings is the debut novel of Canadian lawyer, Rebecca Murdock.


Rating: 1 star (Did Not Finish)

Review:

Rocco's Wings wasn't for me, I really couldn't connect with the story or the characters. The writing was confusing and unclear and the story seemed a little too dark and violent for a middle grade book.

The story began with Rocco who is half human and half urvogel (which are humanoid winged creatures) being ambushed by three boys who are the village bullies, but he was able to escape and took to the sky.  After flying around for awhile, he went to the one place his mother warned him not to go, the forbidden palace of the urvogels. The Queen was evil and her Air Marshals ruthlessly doled out her commands. Rocco's curiosity had him infiltrating the palace where he spotted several urvogel children playing they didn't seem as mean and threating as he thought they would be. As he was going back home he was unaware that he had been followed.

Some of the Air Marshals followed him back to his village where they attacked a family friend by shooting an arrow in his back then proceeded to brutally murder Rocco's mother so that they could capture him. That was as far as I got because I found that this was too much. It really put me off with the story.

The best thing about this book to me was the beautiful artwork by Kalen Chock. I really wish this had been a better read.